The Geisha Effect (A Review of Tenka 2nd Edition)

Sengoku.  Ancient Japan is shrouded in mist and mystery.  It lay in chaos and strife as warring clan leaders squabble and clash, negotiate and scheme, collaborate and deceive.  The ultimate goal?  Power.  Honor.  Glory.  Unifying a fractured land and desperate people.  Do you possess the diplomatic savvy, spiritual confidence, and military prowess to consolidate enough splintered provinces and declare yourself Shogun?

Perfect Perjury (A Preview of Lie Your Face Off)

Dad always said, “Honesty is the best policy.”  Yeah, right!  It’s time to take off those rose-colored glasses and break out a game that represents what advertisers, politicians, and car salesmen know really spins the world on its axis:  a good, old-fashioned lie!  I’m not just talking about stretching the truth or telling a little white fib.  No, I mean spinning an incredible doozy of a tall tale.  When your parents are on the prowl accusing you of all manner of shenanigans, you need a story and you need to stick to it!

[Ed. note: This is a preview of a non-final, non-production prototype of the game. Our opinions reflect that of the game at the time we played it; the final product may feature some slight variation in game play, art, and components.]

Sprint Through the Ages (a review of Innovation)

Innovations are the foundation of society. Ideas, inventions, new ways of doing things--these are what ground civilization and move it forward.

In Innovation, you are the leader of a civilization, guiding its progress from prehistory through the Information Age and managing its innovations to both benefit your society and destroy your enemy's. And all of this within thirty to sixty minutes. Are you up for the challenge? Then check out Innovation below!

For Czar and Country (a review of Saint Petersburg)

Somewhere in Russia, a man sits atop a horse. Thankfully, he is not glowering, as in other Euro games, nor is he a medieval. No, he is the czar--Czar Peter, Czar and Carpenter, Czar Superstar--and he sets the hopeful tone for the city of Saint Petersburg, about to be built up despite the scarcity of rubles available to its Russian tycoons.

You are one such tycoon. Do you have what it takes to build this great city? Find out below.

Hanging Out With The Paupers (A Review Of London)

After the Great Fire of London in 1666 there were apparently a lot of lazy Paupers hanging around while the rest of the population tried desperately to rebuild the city.  Sometimes you could educate them in a school and have them help out or send them away on ships or throw them in prison.  This is what I've learned from the game London not what I hastily looked up on Wikipedia.  What I did look up on Wikipedia was Oliver Twist to see if I could make a clever pun related to this game for the title.  He did fit right in with the time period of London but I just couldn't find a way to work him or the Artful Dodger in, perhaps next time!

Make Your Fortune By Going Broke (A Review of Last Will)

Are you good at spending money?  I mean lots and lots of money, enough to buy mansions and hire out butlers and still have more to blow.  But that's the whole point, you're uncle made it his last wish (or will) that his relatives should enjoy the vast wealth that he never got to enjoy himself.  And whoever is the best at spending his hard earned cash the fastest will inherit the rest of his fortune.  So get ready to go for broke.  Like they say, you've got to spend money to make money.

Feel the Burn (A Review of Cavemen: The Quest for Fire)

In the land before time – because early man hadn't yet invented swatch watches – our knuckle-dragging ancestors lacked many things like bows, baskets, and trapper-keepers.  Indeed, you may wonder how the species survived without Tupperware, pedometers and koozies, but times were even darker than that - literally.  Until, that is, one momentous, undocumented moment.  Now, Rio Grande sends you back in time – way back – to be a part of arguably the greatest achievement in human history: the discovery of fire!  Can you lead your small tribe of cavemen to grow and prosper, being the first to patent the roaring flame?  Can you do better than our distant cousins?  Well, let’s hope so, considering that their IQ was smaller than the number of fingers you have on one hand.  And s'mores-eaters and Kumbaya-singers throughout history will memorialize you forever more!

Let's Build A Tableau Together (A Guide to Tableau Building)

Categorizing mechanics can be a tricky thing as we recently saw in a series of articles about whether or not Settlers of Catan is a worker placement game (Here's the Point and Counterpoint to get you caught up).  Rigid definitions aside, it’s helpful to know what type of games are out there and once you’ve identified what you like there’s a multitude of other games that share similar mechanics. We’ll be picking out some of the most popular mechanics (or at least our favorites) and exploring how they work, what games use them successfully, and why we love them. This week let’s take a look at Tableau Building.

Dueling Daimyos (A Review of Tenka: All Under Heaven)

Japan in the 16th Century was a harsh and brutal land. Warlords, large and petty alike, ravaged villages and countryside in ruthless grabs for revenge and power. Can you make a difference and unite the clans? You’ve just as much a chance to set things differently with this quick, lightly-themed card game as you do traveling back in time. So assemble your ashigaru. Sharpen your katanas. Even enlist the help of Richard Chamberlain. You’ll need them all to be the greatest Shogun under the sun.

Rebuilding Another Medieval French City--In Style (a review of Tournay)

I know: the title of this review is probably not making you very enthusiastic about Tournay (another Medieval French Belgian town needs to be rebuilt?!), the leaner younger brother to geek darling Troyes , but hear me out. Tournay is different within the Medieval city-building genre, and it's significantly different from Troyes. While it's true that Troyes is more clever and maybe more enjoyable (that's debatable), Tournay remains in my collection while Troyes passed quietly out--unwept, unhonored, and unsung. Why is that? And why are comparisons to Troyes most likely inappropriate for this game? Check out my comments below!

Huge Tracts of Land (A Review of Barons)

It seems the king must prove his piety by building a grand cathedral. Of course, as typical of most monarchs, he wants others to do the job. Therefore, he has charged the lords of his domain to a race in completing the glorious edifice. Surveying the vast lands extending into the horizon, you realize you have your work cut out for you. There are fields to plant, improvements to build, knights to hire, and serfs to tax. A little raiding on the side wouldn’t hurt the cause, either. I mean, the castle’s bills don’t just pay themselves. Will you prove to be the realm’s wealthiest and most powerful noble? Or will you end up just another spoiled, wet-behind-the-ears toff who just happened to inherit his daddy’s estate?

San Juan--IN SPACE! (A Review of Race for the Galaxy)

Welcome to the very first NEMESIS REVIEW on iSlaytheDragon.  In this post, @FarmerLenny offers a review of a game, and @Futurewolfie adds his own thoughts afterward.  Then, at the end, both summarize their general thoughts about the game in 5 words or less.

[Ed. note December 2012:  the 5 word summary has been removed in favor of a much more useful pros/cons list and ratings on a 10.0 scale. Woo!]

@FarmerLenny's Take
I mentioned in my review of San Juan (which is posted here) that I didn't particularly care for it. It seemed like it had elements of a good game, but something just didn't click for me (perhaps it was fellow players burying all the good cards under their chapels?). It's also telling that those I play board games with most frequently weren't itching to play it either. I was offered Race for the Galaxy in a trade through BGG, so I thought I'd try San Juan's beefier big brother before completely swearing off games of this type.

And you know what? I loved it.

So why did I love one game and not care for the other when they're so similar? Let's get into the review.